EU lays out health objectives for five-year strategy
Three objectives have been identified by the European Commission
to form the central components of a five-year strategic approach for
health
in the EU (PDF,
60K).
The first objective is to foster good health as people grow older in
order to reduce the cost of their health care. The commission has worked
out that the expected rise in health spending as the population ages
could be halved if ways can be found of keeping people healthy for longer.
The promotion of healthy lifestyles and reduction of harmful behaviours,
such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol, have been identified for
action.
The second objective is to protect people from threats to their health
posed by epidemics and bioterrorism. Other identified threats include
accidents, poor safety at work and problems with food.
Finally, the strategy sets out the need to make use of technological
developments in health care, such as genomics and biotechnology, which
could support a shift from hospital-based care to prevention and primary
care.
EU health commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “The EU is facing
new challenges. Its population is ageing fast and its recent enlargements
widened the health gaps between member states.
“ Migration, the mobility of health professionals and patients, the risks
posed by pandemics and bioterrorism all represent additional challenges; so do
globalisation and climate change. The time has come for the EU to develop a strong
and comprehensive strategy on health.”
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
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